The biggest thing to happen to New Zealand since Peter Jackson's makeover? The Naked and Famous, a ridiculously handsome band that in the past year went from supporting small indie acts to playing major festivals around the world (Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Treasure Island). The five-piece group, whose first CD, "Passive Me, Aggressive You," bursts with giddy electro-pop tunes such as "Young Blood" and "Punching in a Dream," returns to San Francisco for the first of two shows tonight at the Independent. We spoke to band member Aaron Short.

Q:So it hasn't been a bad year, huh?

A: I think it's been quite the opposite. At the beginning, our manager told us, "It's going to be the busiest year of our life." It's living up to our expectations in that area.

Q:You were still working a day job at this point last year. When did you quit?

A: It was when we signed our deal with Universal. We realized things were going to get a lot bigger. So we prepared to live in hotel rooms and buses.

Q:It sounds like you miss the normality.

A: I occasionally think back to it. It was comforting getting up at 8 and coming home at 5. When touring life is so hectic and crazy, you take comfort in those thoughts, but I certainly wouldn't trade it for anything.

Q:Do you guys fight a lot over the stereo in the van?

A: A majority of the time the van is in complete silence because every person has their headphones on. We see and hear so much of each other, it's a good opportunity to drift off into our own worlds.

Q:How is your singer, Alisa Xayalith, surviving life on the road with four guys?

A: Deep down, she loves it.

Q:Really? Are you sure you're not putting words into her mouth?

A: It's positive reinforcement. If we all say that enough, she'll believe it. No, we're not disgusting males or anything. We keep it polite when there are ladies around.

Q:You played Oakland last week, then San Diego and Santa Barbara before heading back to San Francisco. Is someone just messing with you?

A: Yeah, I'm sure our tour manager is having a ball on those nine-hour drives. He loves it.